Design*Sponge » weddings

weekly wrap up + a simple dockside wedding

Stephanie — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 17:00:57 +0000

We don’t post a ton of weddings, but this small one on Bainbridge Island stood out for me. I always get excited to see a submission from One Love Photo because I know the images will be wonderful. Heather and Jon use classic film and retro cameras to produce the best vintage style photography I’ve seen recently. The result of their immense skill as photographers is that I find myself wanting to hang pictures of a stranger’s wedding on my wall as art. I haven’t done it yet, but you never know. :)

I can’t think of a better pairing for their style of imagery than Michael & Farrah’s wedding with its homey, vintage-inspired touches and beautiful ocean setting. The details are minimal but lovely—a simple pennant garland, a battery operated record player, a dog in a basket, touches of yellow on the bride. It’s inspiring to see a great wedding of this size, and it provides a good reminder that thoughtful editing and a few well chosen details can be hugely successful—in any kind of creative endeavor. Thanks for sharing, Heather & Jon!—Kate

Have a great weekend everyone, and we’ll see you on Monday!

Below is a summary of this week’s highlights:

Must Read: 2011 Design*Sponge Scholarship!
D*S Book Tour Diary: Asheville, Durham, Charleston + Savannah
New City Guide: London City Guide {Update}
Biz Ladies: How to Effectively Manage a Facebook Community
Living In: Kramer vs. Kramer
Sneak Peeks: Josie Curran and Barnaby Girling, Charity D’Amato, Bernadette Pascua & Andrew Stinson
DIY Projects: Bark + Straw Fall Wreath, Muslin Photo Candle Covers, Salvaged Barnwood Headboard
Before & Afters: Rustic Refinished Desk, Design Studio Makeover, Repurposed Horse Stall Doors, Modern Kitchen Redo
What’s Your Tech Setup? The Dye Lab
Make It Yours: Cortney Bishop
Current Obsession: Colorful Bike Rims
In the Kitchen With: Cerentha Harris’ Plum Cake
Flowers A-Z: Y is for Yellow Crown Tulips
Artwork: James Henkel Photography, Helen Friel, Buy Some Damn Art
Misc.: Michele Quan Bells, Tattoo It Yourself Cards, Kiosk, Vintage by Hemingway Design, Blumen, Ink Meets Paper QR Cards, Altitude Memo Block, Andy Whitcomb, Amy Marcella 2012 Calendars, Remedy Quarterly, Strawser + Smith

See more of Farrah & Michael’s dockside wedding after the jump!

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blues rock wedding invites

Grace Bonney — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 12:00:52 +0000

I love seeing how gig posters and that style of artwork have trickled down into everything from packaging to personalized wedding invites. Erin Jang created these invitations for a blues-rock-loving couple that got married in the South this summer. The couple and their family traveled from Toronto to Clarksdale, Mississippi, so they wanted the invitations to point out great stops along the road (BBQ restaurants, the Jack Daniels distillery, famous music landmarks, etc.). The color palette of these invites is so “summer in the South” perfect that I can practically see the heat waves rising off them. Even though the warmer temperatures are now behind us, it’s always fun to look back and get a few final glimpses of the colors and themes that made summer so fun. Click here to check out more of Erin’s design work online. xo, grace

weekly wrap up + elopement in paris

Grace Bonney — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 16:00:47 +0000

P+C tie the knot (in paris) from Peter in Motion on Vimeo.

The San Francisco City Hall elopement video we ran last year has remained a favorite of mine. I’ll never forget genuinely crying when I watched a couple that I didn’t even know exchange vows (with their voices removed, just music and images) and look so very happy. I know so many other people were moved by their ceremony, but I didn’t expect to be blown away again by another couple who were inspired by this very video!

Chen and Peter got engaged this March after dating for ten years. Chen had bookmarked the video above after seeing it last November and remembered it when they decided to tie the knot. They knew a traditional wedding wasn’t for them and that their love of travel adventures was a big part of their life, so they decided to have a “wedding for two” rather than an elopement (they told their family and friends ahead of time). Peter is a television editor so the idea of creating a video similar to April and Jeremy’s was perfect. Their whirlwind trip to Paris included visiting all sorts of romantic spots around town and renting bikes in a moment that reminds me of my favorite scenes from Amelie. Chen and Peter had a beautiful ceremony and then came home where Peter edited this video (which was shot by Sean Flanigan) as a gift for his wife.

I think this is such a beautiful and sweet moment and am thankful that Chen and Peter offered to share it with us here today. Here’s wishing them a lifetime of happiness. xo, grace (P.S.- Bravo on the music choice, Peter)

Below is a summary of this week’s highlights:

New City Guide: Pokey Lafarge’s Tour of St. Louis (plus interview)
Biz Ladies: Organizing your life with online tools
Living In: The Sound of Music
Sneak Peeks: Kelly Oshiro, Enrique and Libia, Crystal Ellis
DIY Projects: Recycled road map corkboard, Kubb- a Swedish Lawn Game (how to build the parts), Personalized Party Cups
Before & Afters: Amazing bathroom makeover (must see), Flower shop renovation, Porch makeover, Reupholstered wingback chairs
We like it Wild: Yosemite inspired flower arrangement
Upholstery 101: Constructing Coil Seats, Part 1
Make It Yours: Recreating Sarah Bedford and Alan Hill’s home
In the Kitchen With: Giao Trac’s Chinese Chicken Salad with Spicy Ginger Dressing
Back to School: Tech accessories roundup
Misc.: Rablabs geode/agate stoppers, Painter’s Palette inspired giftwrap, Happy Cat cards, Ombre painted bench, Colorful butterfly prints, Wallpaper from Kirath Ghundoo, Cat Illustrations from Nolan Pelletier, Baggu bags by Caitlin Mociun, Beautifully designed “Good Life” cookbook, Shannon Garson’s polka dotted ceramics, Summer themed letterpress cards from Studio SloMo

portland courthouse ceremony

Grace Bonney — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 12:00:44 +0000

They say rain is a sign of good luck on your wedding day, so this couple picked the perfect place to make sure that happened. Joe and Naomi recently got married in Portland, Oregon, and decided to hit up their favorite spots around town on the big day. After their ceremony at the courthouse, they hopped in a pedicab (driven by their friend) and drove around town, visiting local favorites like the Ace Hotel, Ristretto and Pix Patisserie. I love starting the day on a positive note, so I thought a peek at this couple’s special day would kick things off right. Also, I miss Portland and loved getting to relive some of my favorite spots while looking at their photos. Thanks to Naomi, Joe and photographer Sara Gray for sharing these photos with us (click here to see more images from Sara). More details and images continue after the jump . . . xo, grace

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weekly wrap up + a palm springs wedding shoot

Stephanie — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 17:00:59 +0000

Whether you’re engaged, married or happily enjoying single life, I think weddings can be a fantastic source of entertaining ideas. No rings are required to enjoy a great table design or beautiful food displays, so I love getting to share wedding shoots when they’ve got color schemes and decor that could span a wide range of events. This wedding shoot was created by Jesi Haack Design and shot at the Ace Hotel in Palm Springs, California. I love the vivid pinks and yellows- they scream “summer” to me and would perfect to carry through for a backyard BBQ or even a baby shower. Chiavari chairs are such a party staple, but they feel fun and surprisingly modern doused in a coat of hot pink paint.

My favorite part of the event design is contrast between electric colors and faded tumbleweeds- it makes all the decorations really stand out from the surroundings. If you’re looking for a fun idea for a birthday party, summer backyard bash or just a little get together for two, there are plenty of ideas to inspire here. Thanks to Melanie for sending this over. A full list of credits is after the jump (with more gorgeous photos) and all of the pictures above and below were taken by Gabriel Ryan Photographers.

I’m heading off for the weekend and will see you on Monday, reporting part of the week from San Francisco and the other part from gorgeous Portland, Oregon. I can’t wait to get a break from this crazy NYC heat. See you next week! xo, grace

Below is a summary of this week’s highlights:

Must-Read Posts: Top 15 Tech Gifts for Fathers Day, Looking for: D*S Special Project Sponsors, Upholstery Basics: Tool Time
New City Guide: Farm Coast
Biz Ladies: Media Training 101
Living In: The Young Girls of Rochefort
The Sound of Your Morning: Can’t Get You Out of My Head
Sneak Peeks: Ivan Hvam Hvam, Shaun Moore & Todd Caldwell, Myriam Balaÿ-Devidal, Paul & Jordan Ferney
DIY Projects: Ikat Print Pillow, Farmers’ Market Bags, Droog-style Hanger Lamp
Before & Afters: Mantel Bookshelf, Chalkboard Market Sign, Shutter Wood Embellished Dresser
Treasure Hunting: Hangers (collecting and creative display ideas)
Upholstery Basics: Tool Time
Make It Yours: Caroline Gomez
Past & Present: Anglepoise Lamps + Sources
Flowers A to Z: O is for Orchid (history, care and arranging tips)
In the Kitchen With: Danielle Tsi’s Egg Salad Recipe
Artwork: Greece On My Wheels
Misc.: Rooftop Gardens, Looking for: Great Summer Beach Houses, McMasterPieces: Alissia Melka-Teichroew, Four Eyes, World’s Smallest Post Office: Home Kit, Jaqk Playing Cards, Bookish, Country House Garden book, Sweet Paul summer magazine,

More beautiful wedding images continue after the jump!

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paper record player

Grace Bonney — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 13:00:49 +0000

When I saw this wedding invitation project from designer Kelli Anderson, the first thing I thought was, “Awesomesauce.” Despite weaning myself off of TV and celebrity gossip (which I’ve done pretty well, if I do say so myself), I can’t shake some of my favorite character-driven dialogue that’s always in my head. Top of the list? Liz Lemon’s “What the what?” and “Nerds!” and of course, Andy’s favorite above. While I try to fight them off in favor of more descriptive words, all I can say about this incredibly amazing project is: WOW.

When approached by her friends Mike and Karen to create a creative wedding invitation, Kelli Anderson decided to embrace the couple’s love of music. Both Mike and Karen work in music (she DJs at night, he’s a Grammy award-winning sound engineer), and they wrote their own song for their wedding, so Kelli worked with them to record the song on a flexidisc and create an invitation that would actually PLAY the record (watch it in action above). Can we just pause to marvel at how that makes this the coolest wedding invitation ever? Until another invitation pops open and hand-feeds me a piece of chocolate, this one takes the cake.

In addition to the standard wedding invitation details, Kelli’s design for the invite included a back page with a needle that, with some hand-spinning, actually plays the record. I’m too blown away to go on, so I’ll let the video and Kelli’s post here explain the rest. Two thumbs up for an amazingly creative couple and designer going all out and inspiring me to rethink how far paper invitations can be pushed. xo, grace

More images of the invitation after the jump!

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